Recipients of the American Library Association's
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgendered Book Award

The first and most enduring award for lesbigay books is the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Book Award, sponsored by the American Library Association's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table. Since Isabel Miller's Patience and Sarah received the first award in 1971, a total of forty-eight books have been honored for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered experience.

Originally a grassroots acknowledgment honoring hallmark works in lesbigay publishing, the Gay Book Award (as it was originally known) became an official American Library Association award in 1986. The next year, its name was changed to the Gay and Lesbian Book Award. Beginning in 1990, the Book Award expanded into two categories: nonfiction and literature. In 1994, the name changed once more to the Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Book Award. In 1999, when the Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Task Force became the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table, the name changed yet again to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Book Award.

The history of the Book Award mirrors the growth of the lesbigay publishing industry. Although in the first years of the award the committee had only a handful of books from which to choose, by 1995 they had to select the winners from a list of over 800 eligible titles.

The committee that surveys these multitudes of lesbian, gay, and bisexual publications is made up of equal numbers of women and men from various types of libraries across the United States. Ultimately, the committee must review the nominees and select five finalists each in the categories of nonfiction and literature. The winners are chosen from among these five finalists.

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Book Award is presented to English language works published the year prior to the announcement date. The award, which consists of a commemorative plaque and a cash stipend, is announced in March and presented to the winning authors or editors at the American Library Association Annual Conference in June.

Nominations for the Book Award may be made by any individual not affiliated with the publisher of the book being nominated. A short statement describing why a book is being nominated must accompany the nomination, which must be submitted to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Book Award Committee Chair by October 31 of each year. Mail must be postmarked by the nomination deadline. Nominations will be accepted by regular and electronic mail as well as through facsimile transmission (fax). Nominations may be sent to the current Chair: John Bradford, 1452 Hargis Creek Trail, Austin, Texas 78717; Phone: (512) 248-1434; E-mail: jpbmls@yahoo.com

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For a list of other publications available from the American Library Association's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table, go to http://isd.usc.edu/~trimmer/ala_form.html.

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